Dental fountain cleaner



April 424, 1951 c, L, HYsER 2,550,565

DENTAL FOUNTAIN CLEANER V Filed sept. 17, 1948 Afro/Mns.

Patented Apr. 24, 1951 DENTAL FOUNTAIN CLEANER Charles L. Hyser,Bronxville, N. Y., assigner to:

Orajet Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of DelawareApplication September 17, 1948, Serial No. 49,711

7 Claims.

vThe present invention relates to dental fountainv cleaners in whichare. provided a perforated.r

tion constituting` an improvement on that disclosedin my abandoned`application Serial No. 34,026., filed June., 19, 19.48.

Av general object ofthe present invention isfto providesuchk astructurein a. simplified, highly. efficient: and sanitary form which isreadilyk and economically manufactured in mass production, which willaccomplish effective` cleaning without brush-bristlev scrubbing that mayirritate tender gums, and whichv features removable parts includingjetforming structure and dentifrice material holding means to permitready and thor ough cleaning.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide such adental fountain cleaner characterized by a particular. type of hollowhead: structure,` wherein jet outlets are formed in a removablewall-formingbody closing olf one side of said hollow head structure soas efficiently to permit' removal for cleaning both the interior of thehollow head and the outlets.

Another object of the, present invention is to provide such apparatusina form whereby hollowy handle rstructure thereof constitutes areceiving shell. in which.` removable partition means is located to'provide a pocketfor holding dentifricey material with the. mouth of; thepocket located inthe path ofA supplied washing liquid, outlet from thepocket to a passage downstreamthereof leading to jet head structurebeing in the vicinity of the mouth of the: pocket tol assure swirl? ofsupplied liquid into the pocket to pick up and admix therewith an amountof the dentifrice in an effective manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide structurallembodiments of the device which are readilyconstructed and permit ef.iicient use and operation thereof.

Other objects of the inventionwill in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly `comprises the fea#A tures of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplilied in the construction hereinafter set forth, and

the scope of the invention will be indicated in the` claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objectsof the. invention,reference should be hadv to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 isa side elevational-view of a, complete dental jet cleanerdevice showing in perspective the manual cleaner apparatus unit thereofwhich embodies the, present invention, partsr being broken away andspigotv structure to which the device may be attached. for use being.indicatedin dotted lines; as is one position; ofi an` anchoragemanipulator;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, withV parts brokenV away, of the headend of themanual ap paratus unit shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged .longitudinal section, with parts broken away, ofhead and handle structure shown in Fig. l, being taken substantially online 3-3 thereof Fig. 4 is a` perspective view of'` the partitioningFig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 9-9of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawing, likenumerals identify similar parts throughoutand, as willbe seen from Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, an embodiment of thepresent invention may comprise a head struc-V ture IQ, a handlestructure l I, supply hose means I2, and a hose anchoring device I3.

As best seen in Figs. l, 2` and 3, the head structure l0 compriseshollow body I4 having a chamber l5 therein defined on one side by awall-forming body I6, preferably in the form of a cylindrical.button-like elementr and which may be formed as the head of a screw ilthreadably anchored in an internally threaded socket I8 in the bottom ofthe chamber I5, as best shown in Fig. 3. A plurality of jet outlets oropenings are provided in the head structure lil, preferably by forming aplurality of grooves IlS-IS- in the cy-H lindrical surface vof the screwhead I6.

The head. structure Ill is mounted on an end of handle structure Il,which is preferably constructed in the form of a hollow shell 2t havinga bore 2 IV extending therethrough communicating its inner end 24. Theouter or upstream end of counterbore 23 is internally threaded, as bestshown in Fig. 3, threadably to receive an extern nally threaded nippleconnector 26 on one end of the water supply hose I2. Preferably theouter end of handle structure II is externally knurled at 21, as is thenipple connector 26, as best shown in Fig. l, so that cooperatively theyprovide a convenient hand grasp for secure engagement by the fingers ofthe user.

The upstream end of supply hose I2 is fitted with suitable anchorage orconnecting means I3 for ready mounting to a water supply spigot.Preferably this anchorage structure comprises an externally threadednipple 28 which is loosely received within an expansible sleeve 29,preferably of resilient material such as rubber, held thereon by a nut30 which forms a fixed abutment on the outer side of resilient sleeve29. The nipple 28 is mounted upon hollow sleeve 3| in which the upstreamend of the hose I2 is anchored, and an apertured cap -32 isreciprocatively mounted thereon to bear against the downstream end ofresilient sleeve 29. A camming lever 33 is pivoted at 34 to the sleeve3| so that when it is flipped down'from the dotted line position to thefull line position shown in Fig. 1, its nose 35 cams the cap 32 upwardlyto foreshorten the resilient sleeve 29 and expand it radially, as shown,for secure anchorage within the end of a spigot diagrammaticallyindicated by dotted lines at 36. Such anchorage structure is more fullydisclosed and is defined in the claims of my copending application Ser.No. 110,730, filed August 17, 1949, for House Attachments for FaucetOutlets and the Like.

The embodiment of the dental jet cleaner shown in the drawing isprovided with means for housing a quantity of dentifrice material. Thisis accomplished by sub-dividing the chamber 23 into twolongitudinally-extending compartments 36 and 31. Preferably this isaccomplished by an elongated partitioning strip -38 ofrelatively rigidmaterial, such as metal, having its inner or downstream end turnedlaterally to provide a flange 39, preferably shaped substantiallysemi-circular so that its edgerclosely conforms to the curvature of theinner wall of the counterbore chamber 23 and seats against annularshoulder 24. The other end of the partitioning strip 38 is turnedlaterally in the opposite direction to provide a similar flange lillwhich is also so shaped as to conform substantially to the curvature ofthe inner Wall of counterbore chamber 23. As a result, the partitioningstrip 38 not 'only divides counterbore chamber 23 into the twolongitudinally-extending compartments 36 and 31, but closes oif theformer at its downstream end while leaving its upstream end at 4I open.Conversely, the other compartment 31 is left open to communication withthe outlet bore 2l at the shoulder` 24 and is closed off at its upstreamend .by ange Communication between compartments 36 and 31 is broughtabout ypreferably by means of a hole 42 in the outer end of the flatmajor portion 43 of the partitioning strip 38 in the vicinity of theouter end Wall ange 40. Of course, it will be understood that othermeans may be' employed for bringing about communication betweencornpartments 36 and 31, such as notches in the side edges of the majorportion 43 of the strip 38, or by an annular groove in the inner Wall ofthe counterbore chamber 23 in the vicinity of end wall ange 40, but itis preferred to use thehole 71 moval of the, partitioning strip 38.

42 for that purpose since it may also serve for ready engagement by awithdrawing tool, as ismore fully explained hereinafter.

In operation of the embodiment of the invenf tion shown in Figs. l to 6inclusive, the handle structure II may be threadably disengaged from thenipple connector 26 and a quantity of denti-- frice material, forexample thatV commonly marketed in the form of a paste, maybe depos itedin compartment 36 which serves as a retain-t ing pocket therefor. Whenan amount of such paste is squeezed from its containing tube into thehollow handle Ii, it will pack down into the' pocket provided bycompartment 36 and may substantially ll the same. The handle structure'-I I is then threadably re-engaged upon nipple con-r nector 26 and thehose I2 anchored to a water' spigot in the manner indicated above. Whenthe valve of the spigot is opened, water under pres-u surewill flowthrough the hose I2 into the pocket provided by compartment 36 to strikewith considerable force the outer or upstream end of the body ofdentifrice material therein, which, after some use, may be reduced to aquantity similar to that indicated at 44 in Fig. 3. As the waterimpinges against the body of dentifrice material, it gradually picks upand dissolves an amount thereof to carry it away toward the jet headstructure I0. As indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 3, the flow ofWater is first downstream into the pocket 36; then, after striking thebody of dentifrice material, in the reverse direction back toward themouth 4I ofthe pocket up to the communicating hole 42, there to passthrough with dentifrice material mixed therewith into the outletcompartment 31, and, finally, from the inner end of the latter at theshoulder 26 to the supply or outlet bore 2I which feeds the liquidmixture to head chamber I5. The liquid mixture is then discharged underpressure from head chamber I5 through the jet openings provided by thenotches Ill-i9 to produce high pressure jetsof a cleansing liquidconsisting of Water in Whichis admixed a quantity of dentifricematerial.

Manual manipulation of the cleaner apparatus unit comprising headstructure I6 and handle structure II, in a persons mouth accomplishesthe desired cleaning in a manner which has proven to be unusuallyefficient. Manipulation is simple, and the results obtained are farsuperior to those had with the use of ordinary tooth brushes, Whileavoiding any tendency to injure tender gums, as frequently occurs invigorous scrubbing ofY bristles against the gums. Further, particleswhich lodge under the free margins of the gums, between closelyjuxtaposed teeth and around and behind bridge and brace structurefrequently cannot be dislodged by brushing but, as has been found, canbe easily washed out by the high jet action of the apparatus of thepresent invention.

The embodiment of the present invention disclosed above is particularlyadapted to ready cleansing of parts thereof. For example, theWall-forming button I6 in head structure I6, when in the form of thehead of a screw I1, as indicated, may be readily removed by unscrewingwith a simple tool, such as a screw driver. This permits access to thechamber I5 for purposes of cleansing and also permits removal of lodgedmaterial, such as dentifrice paste, that may collect in the jet groovesI9-I9, by means of a brush or the like. Cleansing of the interior of thehollow handle or shell 20 is permitted by re- This canI assai-afs endifof commitment se and its laterally turned end 41 engaged in the hole 42Iin partitioning Strip 38. Th latter may then be' readily Withdrawn bypull" oni-4 the tool se that the interior of the chamber 23 may becleansed by' brushing. and th-e partitioning strip 38y also may be freedof anyvsolids, such as dentifrice paste, that may cake or lodge thereon.A' M l in' Figs. 8Y and 9; the'head sticture f thepdental jet cleaner ofthepre'sent invention may, if desired, be in the ferm, of a cylindricalliad HQ, fixed on handle structure I l, and having acircular hole H5extending transversely therethrough with which suppiy bore 2lcemiii'IiiCateS. The wall-forming" body may be pro'- vided as a groovedend I I6 of a spool or core body 49 which may be press-tted into thetransverse hole H5 for ready removal when pressure is applied thereto bythe finger or any rod-like instrument. As will be seen from Figs. 8 and9, the grooved end H6 closes off one end of the transverse hole H5except for the jet outlets provided by the grooves lil-I9, and the otherend 50 of said spool closes oif the other end of said transverse hole soas to form therebetween an annular chamber 5| about spool shank 52 withsaid chamber in communication with the supply bore or passage 2|. Inoperation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9, cleansing actionobtainable with the use of the head structure of the embodiment shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3 will be similarly attained.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above amo-ng those madeapparent from the preceding description are efficiently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, but any changeto be eifected must fall within the purview of the claims in thisapplication.

It is also to be understood thatV the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1s:

l. A dental jet cleaner comprising, in combination, a hollow head havinga supply passage communicating at one end with a chamber provided in thehead, a removable body forming a closing side wall of the chamber and apart of one side of the head with a -plurality of jet outlets for thatside of the head formed substantially transversely in said wall-formingbody to provide for jets that will project from that side, a hollowelongated manual handle structure supporting said head and extendingaway from the latter at a substantial angle to the general direction ofsaid jet outlets, the interior of said hollow handle communicating atone end with the supply passage and having upstream thereof a chamberfor reception of dentifrice material 6e tcbei gradually'Yy dissolvedi inpassing washing liquid; and hose means connectedY te the. otherA er'idlof said bellow; handle structure-fer sup'plytor` the dentifrice chamberofi washing liquid underA pressure.

2'". ak dental" jet' cleanert noilowfvhandleconstruction comprising, in.combination, an` elongated nandg'rasp having: an axiar bore extendi'iigtherethrough td providev a through water passage havrlgA an outlet endand? ani'nlet end;- the latter being provided with a counterbore to ferma chamber' andi anannular' shourder at the inner 'end thereof, andY anelongated' partitioning strip removably positioned in the chamber withits inner end turned laterallyv asa sub'- staiitiall'y semicircularflange seating 'agian-'istv Said shoulder to' provide a pair of'elongated adjacent compartments with one substantially closed at itslower end' by said flange to fornil a dentifrice material pocket, theother endof s'aild'I strip bei-'ng tu-rr'iedA laterally at its oppositeend as an outer substantially similarly shaped flange to close offsubstantially the upper end of the other compartment with the latter incommunication with the bore at said shoulder, said strip and chamberstructure providing communication between the two compartments in thevicinity of said outer flange and a passage from the dentifrice materialpocket to the Outlet end of the bore.

3. The dental jet cleaner structure as defined in claim 2 characterizedin that provision of the communication between the compartments is bymeans of a hole in the strip near the outer ange which hole also servesfor engagement by a withdrawing tool.

4. A liquid jet device comprising, in combination; a hollow head havinga chamber therein, a circular hole in a wall thereof and a supplypassage communicating at one end with said chamber; a removable buttonreceived within the hole for substantially closing it with thecircumferential edge of said button being provid-ed with a plurality ofaxially-extending notches to form jet outlets; a hollow elongated manualhandle having one end supporting said head with its interior at that endcommunicating with said supply passage, said handle having upstream ofsaid supply passage a storage chamber for reception of a supply ofsolids to be gradually dissolved in and admixed with liquid passingtherethrough; and hose means connected to the other end of said hollowhandle for supply of liquid under pressure to said storage chamber.

5. In a dental jet cleaner structure the provision of a hollow handlehaving a dentifrice chamber therein in the form of one of a pair ofadjacent elongated compartments fo-rmed by dividing the space in thehandle longitudinally by removable partitioning means, the compartmentserving as a dentifriceV chamber being substantially closed at itsdownstream end when conditioned for delivery of dentifrice-treatedliquid and open only at its upstream end for reception of a body ofdentifrice material, the other compartment communicating at itsdownstream end with a supply passage and with the upstream end of saiddentifrice compartment in the vicinity of the upstream end of saidpartitioning means to provide an outlet passage means for saiddentifrice compartment leading from the latter in the vicinity of itsinlet.

6. The dental jet cleaner structure defined in claim 5 characterized bythe provision of the space in said handle with a downstream end wallthrough which the supply passage extends and .said partitioning meanstherein as a removable elongated partitioning strip having itsdownstream end turned laterally to seat against said end wall and itsupstream end turned laterally in the opposite direction to form anupstream end wall with said strip dividing the space in said handle intosaid pair of adjacent longitudinally-extendmg compartments and with thelatter communicating in the vicinity of said upstream end wall.

7. The dental jet cleaner structure as defined in claim 6 characterizedby the supply passage and the space which includes said dentifricechamber being respectively in the forms of a bore and counterbore withthe annular shoulder formed at their juncture serving as the downstreamend Wall of said space in said handle against which the laterally-turneddownstream strip end seats, the latter being shaped substantiallysemicircular, the laterally-turned upstream REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 964,730 Ackerman July 19, 19101,602,215 Smith Oct. 5, 1926 1,646,942 Tuorto Oct. 25, 1927 1,654,745Miller Jan. 3, 1928 1,719,152 Watson July 2, 1929 2,094,888 Hooper Oct.5, 1937 2,208,032 Hooper July 16, 1940

